Air-bag



P. POWELL. AIR BAG.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 15 I918 Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

UNITED snares PATENT ornion.

PETER POWELL, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 JAMESROSENFIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR-BAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

' Application filed Aprii15, 1918. Serial in. 228,541.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER POWELL, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Bags, ofwhigh the folowing is a specification.

This invention relates to air-bags adapted to be used in repairinautomobile tires and I mg r1g1d flat .end mem ers in the outer for otherpurposes an more particularly to a tubular air-bag adapted to fit into asection of an automobile tire casing and to expand the section of thecasing while it is being vulcanized or otherwise treated.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide an air-bagthe various functions of which are performed by different parts whichmay be respectively replaced, to provide an airbag which possessesstrength and durability, which has strong ends, which is effective forits intended purpose throughout its entire length, which may be inflatedthrough one end while in a tire asing, and to provide a simple andeffective method of producing an air-bag of the character referred to.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from. the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, in wh1ch,.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an air-bag embodying the presentinvention, a port on of the bag being shown in section on line 1-1 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 2 is an elevation ofthe right-hand end of Fig. 1; I

Fig, 3 is a left end elevation of the bag in partially completed form;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line H of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the inner tube of the air-bag before oneend of the tube has been secured in position, this figure illustratingmy improved method of closing the end of the inner tube; a

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion or the outer casing of theair-bag viewed from the bottom of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal central section of a modified form of outercasing.

My improved air-bag comprises essentially an outer casing 1 and an innertube 2, the inner tube adapted to be inflated and the outer tube adaptedto restrain the expansion of the inner tube. The outer tube ispreferably expansible only to a slight extent and may be formed ofcanvas or other suitable material. The inner tube is air tight and ispreferably formed of rubber.

A cardinal feature of the present inventlOIl consists in closing theends of the tubular bag in such mannerthat the bag, is of substantiallyuniform diameter throughout and does not taper inwardly at its ends.This is preferably accoln lished by employcasing adapted ,to prevent theinner tube from bulging out at the ends. The inner tube is also madesubstantially fiat so as to fit against the fiat ends of the outercasing.

A preferred method of closing the ends of the outer casin is illustratedin Figs. 1,-

2, and 3, where isks 3 and 4 of steel or other material possessing thenecessary degree of rigidity are. disposed on the inside and outsiderespectively of the end of the casing. Theend of the tubularcasing 1 isnotched so as to rovide a plurality of pointed sectors 5 (P are bentinwardly between the inner and outer disks 3 and 4. A series of rivets 6pass through the disks 3 and 4 to clamp the sectors 5 between the disks,and as shown in Fig. 3 I preferably provide a rivet for each sector ofthe casing. I may also provide disks 7 and 8 of canvas or other suitablematerial between the sectors 5 and the disks 3 and 4 respectively.

In order to permit the insertion and removal of the inner tube 1 providemeans for opening and closing the outer casing, which is preferablycomprised as follows: Theouter casing is split on its inner sidethroughout its entire length as shown at 9 in Fig. 4, and secured onopposite sides of the split 9 are interfitting means for. secur 1g. 5)and these sectors fitting means preferably comprise twometallic plates10 and 11 secured along the inner side of the casing 1 adjacent theopening 9 and having interfitting loops 1? and 13 extending alternatelyinto the opening 9 so that the openings in the loops are in ahnement. Arod 14: is inserted lengthwise through the openings in the loops 12 and18, thereby securely holding the casing closed at the opening 9. Inorder to prevent the inner tube from coming into contact w th themetallic plates 10 and 11 I may provide a flap 15 of canvas or othersuitable ma= terial between the metallic plates and-the inner tube andthis flap is preferably'secured to the casing at one side of the plates,as for example at 16. A suitable means for securing the plates 10 and 11to the casing 1 comprises two series of rivets 17 and 18 passingrespectively through the plates and through the casing adjacent theopening 9.

As above stated the end of the inner tube is preferably made flat 'sothat the inner tube will conform to the contour of the outer casing, andthe present invention comprises an improved method of forming an airtube having flat ends, the preferred embodiment of this method beingsubstantially as follows: A flat rigid member such as illustrated at 19in Fig. 5 is inserted in the end of the air tube and the edges 20 of thetube are bent over the flat member 19. A flat end member, such asillustrated at 21 in Fig- 1, may then be vulcanized or otherwise securedto the bent-over edges 20 of the tube. After the end has been secured tothe bent over edges the member 19 is removed from the tube. In closingthe first end of the tube the member 19 may be removed from the oppositeopen end of the tube or may be shifted to the opposite end of the tubepreparatory to closing the opposite end. However, after both ends-havebeen closed the member 19 may only be removed through an opening in theside of the tube, such an opening being shown at 22 in Fig. 5. After themember 19 has been removed the openin 22 is sealed by vulcanizing orother suitable means. The member 19'is preferably of-substantially thesame peripheral contour as the air tube 2, and when the tube 2 iscircular in cross-section, as is usually the case, the member 19preferably comprises a circular disk. In this connection it will beunderstood that the word disk as herein employed does not necesgaiglilymean a circular disk unless so speci- While the disk 19 employed forclosing the ends of the air-tube may be of substantially the diameter ofthe tube 2, or even of somewhat less diameter, it is preferably madelarger in diameter so that the tube 2 is expanded when the disk isinserted thereinto, as shown for example in Fig. 5. In this way thebent-over edges of the tube extend outwardly beyond the periphery of thetube so that the portion of the tube to which the end is to be securedis disposed in a perfectly flat plane, thereby rendering it easier tovulcanize or otherwise secure the end member to the bent-over edge. Thiswill be apparent when it is observed that if the disks 17 were ofsubstantially the same diameter as the tube the bent-over edge of thetube would be rounded in the region of the edge of the end member.

11 Flg. 7 1 have illustrated a modified -means for closing the outercasing, this means comprising two disks 23 and 21 clamping the pointedends 25' of the outer casing therebetween. Thisconstruction differs fromthat shown in Fig. 1 in that bolts 26 are employed instead of the rivets6, and in that the canvas disks 7 and 8 are omitted. With theconstruction shown in Fig. 7 the inner tube may be removed from theouter casing through the end of the outer casing by removing the bolts26 and the disks 23 and 24, in which case the closing means 1014illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 is unnecessary.

For the purpose of inflating the inner tube a valve 27 of the ordinarytire type is axially disposed at one end of the tube, the valve beingsecured to the tube by a nut 28 as usual and the valve extendingoutwardly through an axial opening in the outer casing 1. With the valvethus arranged the device may be inflated either before or after it isplaced in a tire casing.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of an airtube formed of flexible material and a flat member of flexible materialclosing one end of the tube.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of an airtube formed of flexible material and fiat members formed I of flexiblematerial of substantially the same outline as the tube closing theopposite ends of the tube.

3. The method of closing the end of an elastic tube which comprisesinserting in the end of the tube a member of larger diameter than thetube, thereby expanding the tube, bending the edge of the tube over themember, and securing an end to the bentover edge of the tube.

1. The method of closing the end of an elastic tube which comprisesinserting in the end of the tube a member havin substantiallythe samecontour as the tn e but having a larger diameter than the tube, therebyexpanding the tube, bending the edge of the tube over the member, andsecufiing an end to the bent-over edge of the tu e.

5. The method of closing the end of an elastic tube which comprisesinserting in the end of the tube a member of larger diameter than thetube, thereby expanding the tube, bending the edge of the tube over themember, securing an end to the bent-over edge of the tube, and removingthe disk.

6. The method of closing the ends of an elastic tube which comprisesinserting disks in the ends of the tube, bending the edges of the tubeover the disks, securing end members to the bent-over edges, andremoving the disks through an opening in the side of the tube.

7. The method of closing a flexible tube which comprises inserting disksin the ends of the tube, bending the edges of the tube over the disks,securing end members to the bent-over edges, removing the disks throughan opening in the side of the tube, and sealing the opening in the sideofthe tube.

8. In a device of the character. described, the combination of an innertube adapted to be filled with air under pressure, an outer casingarranged to confine the inner tube when inflated, the casing having anelongate opening in one side, and means comprising interfitting loopssecured to the casing on opposite sides of the opening for closing theopening.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of an innertube adapted to be filled with air under pressure, an outer casingarranged to confine the inner tube when inflated, the casing having anelongate openingin one side, a plurality of loops secured to the casingon opposite sides of the opening so as to interfit with the loops inalinement, and a rod extending through the loops.

10. A tube adapted to fit inside a tire having an elongate opening alongone side, and means comprising interfitting loops secured to the tube onopposite sides of the opening for closing the opening.

11. -A tube adapted to fit inside a tire having an elongate openingalong one side, I

a plurality of loops secured to' the casing on opposite sides of theopening so as to interfit withthe loops in alinement, and a rodextending through the loops.

12. A casing of substantially cylindrical form, slit throu hout itslength, a plurality of loops secure to the casing on opposite edges ofsaid slit so as to interfit with the loops in alinement, and a rodextending through the loops.

13. A casing of substantially cylindrical form, slit throughout itslength, metallic members, each provided with a plurality of loops,secured. to the casing on opposite edges of the slit so as to interfitwith the loops in alinement, and a rod extending through the loop.

'14. Ina device of the character described, the combination of a tubularcasing having one of its end edges notched to provide a plurality ofpointed sectors, said sectors being bent inwardly toward the axis ofthe. casing and an end closure comprising two disks clamping the sectorstherebetween.

15. In a device of the character described, the combination of a tubularcasing havin one of itsend edges notched to provide a plurality ofpointed sectors, said sectors being bent inwardly toward the axis of thecasing, fiat disks embracing said sectors therebetween and rivetspassing through said disks and said sectors for clamping said sectorsbetween said disks.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this first day of April, 1918.

PETER POWELL.

